Charles potter



no Model.) 7 2 SheetsSheet 1.

O. POTTER.

MULTIPLE WEB PRINTING MACHINE.

Patnted Jan. 5, 1897.7

5440040601 v614M, Va;

M K fi'ld qwixmooea (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0-. POTTER.

MULTIPLE WEB PRINTING MACHINE. No. 574,493. Patented Jan. 5, 1897.

QXMWI/Q/JOQO 5% M4 601 @51 attorney zMMzM wx UNITED STATES Fries.

CHARLES POTTER, OF PLAINFIELD, NE? JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE POTTERPRINTING PRESS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MULTIPLE WEB-PRINTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,493, dated January5, 1897.

Application filed February 19, 1894;. Serial No. 500,679. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES POTTER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Plainfield, Union county, State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Multiple Web-PrintingMachines, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates generally to rotary web-printing machines, andmore particularly to that class in which a number of webs are perfectedwith a View of delivering an increased variety of products.

The present improvements are directed to a web-machine in which it isdesired to associate with full-sized sheets half-sized sheets in making,for instance, products consisting of six, ten, or fourteen pages, whichare made up in the one case of a four or full paged sheet with an insetof a two or half paged sheet, in the next case of two four or full pagedsheets with an inset of a two or half paged sheet, and in the other caseof three four or full paged sheets with an inset of a two or half pagedsheet, as is well understood.

The improvements are also designed to effect an increase in the capacityof such machines and to provide a delivery mechanism by which suchincreased capacity may be effectually accommodated; and to these endsthe invention consists in the novel structures and combinationshereinafter fully set forth.

As a more ready understanding of the invention will be had from adetailed description of a mechanism designed to practically carry outthe improvements, such description will now be given, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation indiagram of a multiple webprinting machine and delivery therefor providedwith the improvements, certain tapes being omitted from the delivery.Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the delivery mechanism. Fig. 3 is adiagram of the webs with the interposed inset sheets. Fig. a is a viewof a folded product. Fig. 5 is a diagram of an addition to theweb-directing mechanism.

Referring to said drawings, the multiple web-printing machine in thisinstance consists of three distinct printing mechanisms A B C-it mightbe more or less, as desired arranged preferably one over the other andeach adapted to perfect a web from a roll A,

B, and C for subsequent delivery, as by a delivery mechanism D. Eachprinting mechanism consists, as usual, of the first plate or typecylinder a and first impression-cylinder b, by which the web is printedon one side, and the second plate or type cylinder 0 and a secondimpression-cylinder d, by which the web is printed on the opposite side,with suitable inking mechanisms 6 f for the plate-cylinders. The web ineach printing mechanism is led from the roll over suitable leading-rollsg g, thence between the cylinders a I), over the cylinder cl, andbetween it and the cylinder 0 and around a leading-roll h. The devicesso far described are alike in each of the three printing mechanisms, andhence the description of those of one mechanism apply equally to theother printing mechanisms.

The printing mechanisms A and C are arranged to run at the same surfacespeed, and each web A C therefrom is led from the leading-roll 7L arounda roll h, and thence one web A around a roll 1' and the other web 0around a roll '6, and the two webs having thus been brought together orassociated one over the other pass as a single two-ply web between theroll i to the delivery mechanism D.

- The rolls 11 t" are arranged out of contact one with the other, sothat the two webs A 0 in passing around the said rolls, are not broughtinto close or nipping contact, but preferablyare held a slight distanceapart, as shown in Fig. 1, such webs, however, gradually approaching oneanother andbeing finally brought into close ,contact in passing betweenthe nipping-rolls 1' The printing mechanism 13 when halfsheets are to beformed is driven at one-half the surface speed of the other twomechanisms A C, and the web 13 thereof, which may be termed thesupplement or half-sheet web, from the leading-roll h, passes between apair of cutting or perforating cylinders j j,runnin g at the samesurface speed as the mechanism B, by which the supplement-web is cut orperforated into half-sheets, which pass from said I,

cylinder into the space between the two webs A 0 turning the rolls t' ito become associated with and between said two webs and pass onwardtherewith as a single product. The space between the cutting orperforating cylinders j j may be occupied by upper and lower guides orother sheet conducting means to insure, if found necessary, thesupplement orhalf sheets being directed between the two webs A C ,passing around the rolls 1' 2'.

As the two webs A (J from the mechanisms A and O are traveling at twicethe speed of the web 13 or sheets from the mechanism 13, it results thathalf or supplement sheets will be delivered between the two webs A (J atcertain definite intervals apart, as indicated in Fig. 3. lVhen thesupplement-web B is simply perforated in passing between the cylinders jj, the perforated or partially-severed web extends between thefaster-runnin g webs A 0 and as soon as the end of the supplement-web isgrasped between said two webs or nipped in passing'between the rolls 1'i it will be suddenly carried at the faster speed, so that a half-sheetis fully parted from the web and carried onward between the two webs.\Vhen the half-sheets are wholly severed from the supplement-web B suchsheets as soon as they arrive between the two webs A O and lie againstthe lower web A will immediately partake of the faster speed of said twowebs and be carried onward between them. The nipping eifect of the rolls2' 1? will, to a great extent, be the same if the webs be led partiallyaround one of the rolls, as i as in Fig. 1, the lower or other roll ibeing absent.

By arranging the printing mechanism B be tween the two mechanisms A andC, or by otherwise arranging said mechanism 13 and then conducting thesupplement-web B to a point between the webs A C an exceedingly simplemode of insetting or associating the halfsheets with said two webs isprovided, and by which said webs form the conducting means for the insetor half sheets, dispensing with the necessity for any tapes orsheet-conductor for properly carrying the half-sheets into position orassociation with the webs A 0 The associated webs with the inset sheetsare directed from the rolls 1' '5 upward over a roll m, and thencedownward over a longitudinal guide or folder it of any approved form andbetween a pair of folding or leading rolls 0 o. In passing over the rollon the associated webs and inset sheets are divided longitudinally intotwo portions 00 x, as by a slitter 19, so that two sets of associatedwebs with inset sheets pass between the rolls 0 0, and thus each set isso arranged as to pass into separate transverse cutting and, if desired,folding mechanisms. From the rolls 0 0 one of the longitudinally-dividedwebs 00 passes to the left between a pair of combined cutting andfolding cylinders F of a wellknown type, and the cut and folded product,as in Fig. 4, passes thence between tapes 1 r for final delivery or toanother or further folding device, according to the shape it is desiredto impart to the delivered product. The other longitudinallydivided web:0 passes to the right between a similar pair of combined cutting andfolding cylinders F, and the cut and folded product, as in Fig. 4,passes thence between tapes q 0" for final delivery or to anotherfolding device, as may be deemed desirable, the form of the product fromeach pair of cylinders F F being the same or different, according to therequirements of the publisher.

In forming the products thus far described each printing mechanism willprint duplicate matter side by side, so that the delivery mechanism willdeliver two similar products simultaneously. This printing of duplicatematter and delivery of like products is not essential, as it is obviousthat different matter may be printed side by side in each printingmechanism, so that the two products delivered by the delivery mechanismmay be entirely different, designed either for association one with theother to complete a single paper or as completed products in themselves,as in newspapers printing editions in two languages. Vhere the productsare different from one another, the supplement-machine B may be arrangedto print on a half-width web, so that only one of the products will beprovided with an inset or half sheet, forming in such case a ten-pagedpaper, while the other product will form an eight-paged paper. In likemanner either one of the printing mechanisms A C may print on ahalf-width web and thus vary the size of the delivered product.

So,too, either one, two, or all of the printing mechanisms may beprovided with associating web-turning bars, as indicated in Fig. 5 andin dotted lines, Fig. 1, wherein the lower web A in passing theleading-roll h is slit longitudinally by a slitter 8, one of the dividedporti ons passing onward while the other is turned over two web-turningbars 25 t and thus transferred laterally under the other portion in awell-known manner.

By providing the supplement mechanism B with change-gearing it may berun at the same surface speed as the other mechanism A O to print anddeliver full-sized sheets, in which case the cutting-cylinders jj may berendered inoperative to sever or partially sever the passing web.

It will be observed that the slitter 12 may be omitted, in which casethe webs passing over the longitudinal folder it will be foldedcentrally and may then pass from the rolls 0 0 bodily into either one ofthe pair of combined cutting and folding cylinders F F for propermanipulation and delivery.

hat I claim is- 1. In a multiple printing-machine, the combination withthree printing-machines superimposed one above the other for printingindependent webs, of means for operating the center printing-machine andfeeding the web therefrom at a speed slower than the other two machines,adjacent leading-rolls separated a distance apart for the uppermost andlowermost webs, other leading-rolls in biting contact situated adistance from the firstmentioned rolls, and a web-severing device forthe center web interposed between the center printing-machine and saidfirst-mentioned leading-rolls, as set forth.

2. In a multiple printing-machine, the combination with threeprinting-machines superimposed one above the other for printing threeindependent Webs, a slitter for longitudinally slitting one of the webs,and turning-bars for associating the divided portions of said web, ofmeans for operating the center printingmachine and feeding the webtherefrom at a speed slowerthan the other two machines, adjacentleading-rolls separated a distance apart for the uppermost and lowermostwebs, other leading-rolls in biting contact situated a distance from thefirst-mentioned rolls, and a web-severing device for the center webinterposed between the center printingmachine and said first-mentionedleading-rolls, as set forth. 7

3. In a multiple printing-machine, the combination with threeprinting-machines superimposed one above the other for printingindependent webs, of means for operating the center printing-machine andfeeding the web therefrom at a speed slower than the other two machines,adjacent leading-rolls separated a distance apart for the uppermost andlowermost webs, other leading-rolls in biting contact situated adistance from the firstmentioned rolls, a slitter for dividing theassociated webs and interposed sheets longitudinally, a longitudinalguide or folder for bringing the divided portions together, and adelivery mechanism for each portion, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twowitnesses. CHARLES POTTER. Witnesses: S. T. GALLUP,

FRANK H. SMITH.

